Antonio Smith buries the hatchet with Incognito

Defensive end Antonio Smith said today he forgives Miami guard Richie Incognito for instigating two incidents the last two seasons that caused him to be fined last year and suspended for the Texans’ Monday night opener at San Diego.

Speaking for the first time since he was suspended for the last two preseason games and the first game of regular season, Smith also said his biggest regret is letting down his teammates and anything short of a Super Bowl season for the Texans will be a failure.

“Days after that situation, I just let it go,” Smith said during an appearance at the Houston Sports Collectibles Show at the Humble Civic Center. “I forgave him. I forgave myself.

“The thing that hurts me the worst is letting down my brothers.

“After all my hurt and pain – my ranting and raving – I felt like they should have done something to him. Why me? At the end of the day, I’m in the meeting room and my brothers are looking at me, like, ‘I can’t believe you’re going to be gone. We’re going to miss you.’

“I heard that every day, and it became like torture. They showed me their support, but it reminded me of what I’m going to be missing. That humbled me more than anything, knowing I’m letting down my team.

“I’ve been wondering how it’s going to feel to watch on TV a game I’m supposed to be in. That’s something I never imagined I’d have to do.”

Smith will be reinstated on Sept. 10, the day after the opener.

Tangling with Incognito cost Smith $10,000 last season and $356,341 this season. The NFL suspended Smith for the opener after he ripped off Incognito’s helmet and swung it at him in the second preseason game.

Missing the Chargers game will cost Smith a game check of $352,941 and two weeks of preseason income ($3,400). He was fined $10,000 last season for kicking Incognito. Smith said he kicked Incognito because he was twisting his ankle.

“I’ve always been the type of person who fights for the things he loves,” Smith said. “That’s why I’m so passionate. I’m dealing with it the best way I can. Nobody ever wants to go through this and not be able to help their brothers win the next game. All I can do is to take what’s given to me and make the best of it.

“My opinion doesn’t matter to the powers that be, but I don’t think it’s fair.

“You know, nobody defines me but my lord and savior. When it happened, it sent me back to a place where I looked at Him and stopped looking at myself and my own selfish thoughts and wanting justice. The only thing I could do was to turn to Him. That’s what I always do.”

Smith is taking an interesting perspective to his suspension and heavy financial loss.

“I’ll probably thank them at the end of the season,” he said about the league and Incognito. “I have a drive I probably haven’t felt in years, a reawakening. It’s given me that motivation, that pop, that football – after years and years – can kind of take away from you because you go through that same routine over and over until you find a purpose to fight for.

“Every piece we need, we have. The mindset to get over that second-playoff-win hump we’ve got it. To see the weapons we have now, I think anybody on my team will say this, anything less than the Super Bowl this year will be a failure.”